Gladiolus plant named ‘Palampur Princess’

ABSTRACT

A new variety of Gladiolus hybrida named ‘Palampur Princess’ is provided. Attractive flowers are formed in profusion in long spikes that are Dutch Vermillion with a center of Dresden Yellow in coloration. The growth habit is erect and substantially uniform. The leaves are dark green in coloration and contrast nicely with the bright flower coloration. The new variety is well suited for cut flower production and for growing as attractive ornamentation in the landscape.

Botanical/commercial classification: Gladiolus hybrida/Gladiolus orSword Lily Plant.

Varietal denomination: cv. ‘Palampur Princess’.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel Gladiolus plant named ‘PalampurPrincess’ and belongs to the Iridaceae family. The novel plant being ahybrid was developed in a planned breeding program. The novel ‘PalampurPrincess’ plant is propagated vegetatively by the use of corms and hencereadily can be maintained as a stable genotype. The plant of theinvention is highly ornamental and can be widely cultivated for itsbeautiful flowers which are of commercial and export value.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of GladiolusPlant, a member of the Gladiolus genus. The novel plant was formed bythe cross of the ‘Bonfire’ variety (non-patented in the United States)and the ‘Aldebaran’ variety (non-patented in the United States). Eachparent is botanically classified Gladiolus hybrida.

Gladiolus plants are important for cut flower production throughout theworld. The commercial cultivation is widespread in temperate, tropicaland subtropical climates. The demand of new varieties with better color,better quality flowers, and improved plant traits is always present inthe floriculture trade.

In the modern garden Gladiolus cultivars come from diverse geneticparentages. They have cumulative heterozygosity for many charactersinherent with the complex genetic constitution. In Gladiolus, diverseparents commonly are crossed together and the resulting cultivars andspecies that differ widely in chromosome numbers are also cross-fertile.In the present invention, the desirable strain obtained in the F₁generation was perpetuated vegetatively without being segregated in thefollowing generations unlike many cultivars which are available todaythat may be F₂, F₃ to F₈, etc. of a particular cross that are furtherblended with some additional parents at nearly every generation. Thusplants of the present invention are not allowed to segregate freely infurther generations and are reproduced asexually. Because of this manyavailable modern cultivars have become so complex that the offspringobtained by crossing them do not appear similar.

The planned breeding program that produced the new ‘Palampur Princess’variety was carried out at the Institute of Himalayan Resources,Palampur Himachal Pradesh, India, with the goal to develop superiorGladiolus genotypes. Emasculation and pollination were conducted duringthe months of April and May, 1991. The resulting seeds were collectedduring July and August 1991 and were sown in field growing conditionsduring December 1991 and were covered with dry grass. The resultantseedlings were next space transplanted under field growing conditionsduring March and April 1992. Corms and cormels of these plants werereplanted for the next four years and were continuously asexuallymultiplied and evaluated.

Based on the attractive color combination of the flowers, compactness ofthe flower spikes, number of flowers per spike, the length of flowerspikes, the ruffled configuration of the flower petals, the number offlowers that remain open at a time, the number of corms and cormelsproduced per plant, and freedom from common diseases, a single plant ofthis invention was selected for further observation and evaluation.Initially, the plant was designated IHBT-GH-272 and subsequently wasdesignated ‘Palampur Princess’.

It was found that the new Gladiolus hybrida variety of the presentinvention exhibits the following combination of characteristics:

(a) exhibits an erect and substantially uniform growth habit,

(b) forms in profusion on long spikes attractive flowers that are DutchVermillion with a center of Dresden Yellow in coloration;

(c) forms dark green leaves that contrast nicely with the bright flowercoloration, and

(d) is well suited for the production of cut flowers and for growing asattractive ornamentation in the landscape.

The new variety of the present invention can be readily distinguishedfrom its parental varieties through an inspection of the flowers. The‘Palampur Princess’ variety displays flowers that are Dutch Vermillionwith a center of Dresden Yellow. This can be compared with red flowersof the ‘Bonfire’ variety and the yellow flowers of the ‘Aldebaran’variety.

The new variety of the present invention has been asexually reproducedat Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India through the division of corms andcormels beginning in 1992. Such asexual propagation has confirmed thatthe characteristics of the ‘Palampur Princess’ variety are firmly fixedand are reliably and stably transmitted to subsequent generations. Novariants from the variety were observed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph of FIG. 1 shows as reasonably possible tomake the same in a color illustration of this character, a typicalspecimen of the mature flower spike and foliage of the ‘PalampurPrincess’ variety. The plant had been asexually reproduced by divisionand was growing in the field during the summer at Palampur, HimachalPradesh, India. The attractive Dutch Vermillion flowers having a DresdenYellow center are shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The chart used in the identification of the colors is that of The RoyalHorticultural Society (R.H.S. Colour Chart). The description is basedupon the observation of mature plants that had been asexually reproducedby division and were growing in the field during the summer at Palampur,Himachal Pradesh, India. At this location the altitude is approximately1300 m above sea level, the average maximum temperature is 30° C., theaverage minimum temperature is 10° C., and the average annual rainfallis approximately 250 cm.

Classification:

Genus.—Gladiolus.

Species.—Hybrida.

Family.—Iridaceae.

Common name.—Gladiolus/Sword Lily.

Plant:

Plant height.—Approximately 114 cm on average.

Growth habit.—Erect and substantially uniform.

Stem diameter.—Approximately 1.1 cm on average.

Number of leaves/plant.—Approximately 7.3 on average.

Leaf shape.—Lanceolate and sword-shaped, flattened and linear.

Leaf disposition.—Cauline and overlapped.

Height of leaves.—Commonly approximately 30.5 to 72.4 cm from groundlevel (approximately 57 cm on average).

Width of leaves.—Commonly approximately 3.1 to 4.9 cm (approximately 4cm on average).

Leaf apex.—Acute or acuminate.

Leaf base.—Narrow.

Leaf texture.—Glabrous, scabrous due to strong and prominentsubstantially parallel venation that commonly is near white incoloration.

Leaf margins.—Entire.

Leaf color.—Green Group 137B on the upper surface and lighter green onthe under surface.

Corms/cormels.—Commonly 1.8 corms per plant on average that commonly areapproximately 5 cm in diameter. The number of cormels per plant commonlyaverages approximately 146.

Inflorescence:

Days to flower.—Commonly approximately 84.

Type.—Decorative, perianth petaloid, actinomorphic.

Bud size.—The lower three buds commonly are approximately 4.2 to 7.1 cm(average approximately 5.7 cm) in length, and approximately 0.86 to 1.49(average approximately 1.1 cm) in width.

Bud color.—Red Group 44A.

Number of spikes/plant.—Approximately 1.8 on average.

Length of the flower spike.—Approximately 96 cm on average.

Number of flowers/spike.—Approximately 16 on average.

Flower color.—Dutch Vermillion, Red Group 40A, with center of DresdenYellow, Yellow Group 5D.

Petal number.—Six tepals arranged in two whorls with three tepals on theinner whorl and three tepals on the outer whorl.

Petal configuration.—Polyphyllous, the tepals are stalked, oblong,oblanceolate, cuneate at the base, possess a blunt obtuse tip, andpossess oblique lobes.

Petal size.—Commonly approximately 5.5 cm×approximately 7.5 cm.

Petal margins.—Entire and slightly ruffled.

Number of flowers remaining open at one time.—Approximately 8 onaverage.

Longevity of the first flower.—Approximately 3.2 days under normalgrowing conditions.

Diameter of first flower.—Approximately 9.8 cm on average.

Longevity of the flower spike.—Approximately 9.6 days on average.

Style.—Single, terminal, erect, approximately 5.5 to 6 cm in length,slightly curved, and soft white in coloration.

Stigma.—Trilobed, linear lobes, each lobe is approximately 5 mm inlength, lobe apex is oblong, wavy, and purple-pink in coloration.

Ovary.—Inferior, and tricarpellary with many ovules in locule.

Stamens.—Three in number, triandrous, arranged in a whorl, adnate totepals, filaments are approximately 3 to 3.5 cm in length, filaments arewhite in coloration, anthers are extrose, basifixed, light purple incoloration, and approximately 10 to 12 mm in length.

Fragrance.—None observed.

The ‘Palampur Princess’ variety has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that somevariation in the phenotype may be observed when grown under differentenvironmental conditions.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct Gladiolus hybrida plant having thefollowing combination of characteristics: (a) exhibits an erect andsubstantially uniform growth habit, (b) forms in profusion on longspikes attractive flowers that are Dutch Vermillion with a center ofDresden Yellow in coloration, (c) forms dark green leaves that contrastnicely with the bright flower coloration, and (d) is well suited for theproduction of cut flowers and for growing as attractive ornamentation inthe landscape;